IOCC Mobilizes Disaster Response for Haiti Earthquake

BALTIMORE, MD [IOCC/OCA] — International Orthodox Christian Charities [IOCC] is responding to the most devastating earthquake to hit the island nation of Haiti in 200 years on January 12, 2010.

Authorities have not put an estimate of how many were killed by yesterday’s magnitude 7.0 earthquake, but thousands are feared dead. People are still trapped in destroyed buildings and leveled shantytowns and there is growing concern about the lack of sanitation, water and electricity.

IOCC has mobilized its disaster response team and is coordinating with its Orthodox and ecumenical partners to monitor and respond to the emerging needs in Haiti.

“Our prayers are with the people of Haiti who have lost loved ones in this disaster that has brought even more suffering to one of the poorest nations in the hemisphere,” said IOCC executive director and CEO, Constantine M. Triantafilou. “IOCC will be working with our fellow ACT Alliance members who are already in place to provide humanitarian aid to those affected by the earthquake.”

Orthodox Christian faithful can help the victims of disasters around the world, like the Haiti Earthquake, by making a financial gift to the IOCC International Emergency Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief as well as long-term support through the provision of emergency aid, recovery assistance and other support to help those in need. To make a gift, visit www.iocc.org, call toll free at 877-803-IOCC [4622], or mail a check or money order payable to IOCC, PO Box 630225, Baltimore, MD 21263-0225.

Parish and faithful also are encouraged to assemble hygiene kits and emergency clean up buckets to be shipped to Haiti. For information on hygiene kits, log on to www.iocc.org/kidspage/healthkit_frameset.aspx. For information on emergency clean up buckets, visit www.iocc.org/kidspage/bucket_frameset.aspx.

Since its establishment as the official humanitarian aid agency of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas in 1992, IOCC implemented over $300 million in relief and development programs in 33 countries around the world.

Haiti ~ How To Help

The unfortunate side of a disaster like this is that the charlatans come out of the wood work and try and make a buck. Be careful when giving for the relief effort.

Bread for the world has put a list of organizations together that are legit. These are the only ones that you should be donating too. I am proud to see the International Orthodox Christian Charities on this list.

Please give and give from the heart.

List of Organizations

Haiti

Like the rest of you I have been captivated by the news coming out of Haiti. Already a devastated country they now have to face this! Last night on Twitter I posted that I feel I need to do something but I am not sure what. I am praying of course but sometimes it feels like we need to do more.

Yesterday news came that the Roman Catholic Archbishop and 100 priests were killed and I am sure more to come. The count of people who lost their lives could be as high as 100,000 Lord Have Mercy!

Enter into the mix that fool Pat Robertson. I have never been a big fan and now he has crossed the line. Yesterday on his how the 700 Club Robertson had this to say:

ROBERTSON: [S]omething happened a long time ago in Haiti and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French. Napoleon the Third and whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, “We will serve you if you get us free from the prince.” True story. And so the devil said, “OK, it’s a deal.” They kicked the French out, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free.

But ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other, desperately poor…

This is the same nonsense that these people were spewing after Hurricane Katrine hit the United States. Do these so called Christians read the same Bible that I do? I was waiting to see which fool would be the first to call this the wrath of God and I guess I got my answer. The God of money that Mr. Robertson prays too is the one that would do this because this will be a big windfall for him, but my God, the God of peace, the God of love, would not do this. God does not cause people to suffer, people cause people to suffer! Pat Robertson it is time for you to go away!

Sorry to be so direct but as you can tell these people make me crazy!

Sermon ~ Sunday after Theophany

The Gospel passage for today is all about Repentance. Repentance is a radical change of one’s spirit, mind, thought, and heart. A complete reorientation of a life centered in Christ! We are talking about a total about face a turning away if you will from the world and turning toward Christ!

Blogger’s Choice Award

As you can see over on the right side, this blog has been nominated again this year for the Blogger’s Choice Award for Best Religion Blog. Now more than 50 people read this blog each day so if half of you went over and voted that would be great. I believe you can vote once each day for the blog so click on the link and go and vote. I would be forever grateful.

My site was nominated for Best Religion Blog!

Podcast Interview

I was interviewed recently on the Podcast OrthoAnalytica by my good friend Fr. Anthony Perkins host of the program.

Fr. Anthony and I talked about the Christians role in the political arena. I will not go into all of the details here but you can give it a listen from his website or over at iTunes. If you like it, leave him some feedback.

Brit Hume and the Media Backlash

Well it comes as no surprise to me that the media is attacking one of its own. Yesterday I posted on Fox News Sunday Political Commentator Brit Hume’s comments regarding Tiger Woods and Christianity.

In an interview with CNSNews Hume says there is a double standard when it comes to speaking about Christianity versus other religions. “There is a double standard. If I had said, for example, that what Tiger Woods needed to do was become more deeply engaged in his Buddhist faith or to adopt the ideas of Hinduism, which I think would be of great spiritual value to him, I doubt anybody would have said anything.”

To quote from the article, CNSNews.com asked Hume: “Why is Jesus Christ taboo in polite conversation or in the world of politics and media?”

“I think it’s been true for a long time in many cultures. It is certainly true in secular America today that the most controversial two words you can ever utter in a public space are ‘Jesus Christ,’” Hume said.

When asked to speculate about the reasons for the mainstream media’s vitriolic reception of Christianity, Hume initially expressed bewilderment

“I’m somewhat at a loss to explain it because so many of the people who purport to be aghast at such mentions are themselves at least nominally Christian. But there it is,” Hume said.

He added: “I think it is true that for people who are not Christian, Christianity makes a fairly extravagant claim which is that the Son of God — God made Flesh — came into this world, lived, suffered terribly, and died for the remission of our sins, and then rose again. This is a huge supernatural event, and a lot of people don’t—have a lot of trouble believing it. But if you do purport to believe it, the implications are pretty staggering. And the result is you may end up talking about it,” Hume said.

Hume also ventured possible practical reasons for the public’s searing distaste for Christianity.

“There is certainly a level of anti-Christian bigotry that may have something to do with the fact that on certain issues, the views of Christians are against theirs on certain matters such as abortion and others, but I can’t account for all of it. It is a striking reality, however,” Hume concluded.

I will say this, Brit Hume spoke the truth on the show and the world cannot take the truth. Jesus Christ is the way the truth and light! That’s the bottom line. Mr. Hume spoke his faith and I give him a lot of credit for doing it. I also think it was the appropriate place. The show is a political commentary show not breaking news. If he was an anchor of the morning news then it would be appropriate for him to comment on the story as he did, but he was asked for his opinion, hey ask me my opinion and might have said the same thing, I wish I would have said it first!

I have never really been a fan of Fox News, in fact in these pages I often refer to it as Faux News but I am starting to change my opinion. Who knows I might become a Fox News Convert!

Who Cares if Obama Goes to Church?

Today whilst reading the morning blogs, I cam across this article on LifeSiteNews.com, “After Another Church-Less Christmas, Coalition Asks: Is Obama a Christian Fraud?”

So the question I have for you today, dear readers, does it matter if the President of the United States attends church or not?

The article speaks about how the President used the Christian Community during the campaign but has not attended church on a regular basis since his election. A candidate used someone? Should we be surprised by this? The other question I have is would you, if you are a clergy person reading this, want POTUS to come to your church, I for one would not. I would not want to be subjected to the media, the secret service, and circus atmosphere that is involved wherever POTUS goes. People come to church to worship and I would not want that interrupted by some clown with a camera.

I do not know the stats on the Bush attendance at church whilst in the White House but I have never before seen interests in weather the first family attends church or not.

The article lists several things that shows that this POTUS is less Christian perhaps then we have seen before. Does this bother me, not really. How does the faith of one person affect me? I think we need to come to the reality that one day we might have a President who is wait for it… not a Christian.

Why is religion so attached to the Oval Office? Should it be?

What think you?

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